streets.mn Forum

Twin Cities' National and Global Image

Re: Twin Cities' National and Global Image

Posted: February 24th, 2015, 1:12 pm

by acs

Am I missing something monumental other than the fact that Minneapolis is now where LaCrosse was and St. Paul has moved to Green Bay? Maybe I should ride the green line today and see if it actually takes 4 hours like everyone says.

Re: Twin Cities' National and Global Image

Posted: February 24th, 2015, 1:15 pm

by TommyT

I sent them an email politely informing them that Minneapolis and St. Paul are actually in Minnesota, not Wisconsin.

Re: Twin Cities' National and Global Image

Re: Twin Cities' National and Global Image

Posted: March 4th, 2015, 12:23 pm

by Unity77

Perhaps Minneapolis officials and locals should start worrying more about keeping corporations and talent here than if whether or not we should be considered something other than Midwestern. There are companies like Amazon recruiting local talent left and right and locals are worried about what we should be referred to as. Ten years from now most of our corporate headquarters, jobs, and talent will be gone and these idiots will be wondering what happened.

Re: Twin Cities' National and Global Image

Posted: March 4th, 2015, 12:25 pm

by gpete

What should Minneapolis have done differently to keep Target from restructuring and laying off thousands of employees?

Re: Twin Cities' National and Global Image

Posted: March 4th, 2015, 12:27 pm

by Unity77

gpete wrote:What should Minneapolis have done differently to keep Target from restructuring and laying off thousands of employees?

Typical

Re: Twin Cities' National and Global Image

Posted: March 4th, 2015, 12:53 pm

by MNdible

Typical? Really, what should Minneapolis have done to prevent Target from making bad business decisions?

Re: Twin Cities' National and Global Image

Posted: March 4th, 2015, 1:09 pm

by Anondson

Perhaps they able to think about and do more than one thing at a time.

Re: Twin Cities' National and Global Image

Posted: March 4th, 2015, 2:11 pm

by xandrex

Unity77 wrote:

gpete wrote:What should Minneapolis have done differently to keep Target from restructuring and laying off thousands of employees?

Typical

But actually. I don't think anyone here knows what your thoughts are. So do tell.

Saying, "worry about rentention" isn't actually a solution.

Re: Twin Cities' National and Global Image

Posted: March 4th, 2015, 2:22 pm

by Snelbian

Unity77 wrote:

gpete wrote:What should Minneapolis have done differently to keep Target from restructuring and laying off thousands of employees?

Typical

It's a valid question. I don't think the negligible amount of time anyone in local government has spend pushing Midwest vs North is really to blame for...anything. It hasn't exactly been taking up vast quantities of agenda time.

Re: Twin Cities' National and Global Image

Okay so this is obviously not, like, A Matter of Great Significance, but as a southern transplant, I hate the "north" thing so, so, so much. To a substantial chunk of the population, "north" and "northerner" already refer to something, and it's not Minnesota. And yeah, who cares what the South thinks, etc. etc., except it's a pretty crappy rebranding effort when your new brand would be incredibly confusing to 30% of the country. Plus, there's already a descriptor that refers pretty narrowly to Minnesota -- it's the Upper Midwest -- that works just fine.

And frankly, I think it's telling that no one worries whether southerners or other midwesterners or really anyone outside of a few rich coastal cities will think about us becoming the "north." Because when it comes right down to it, that's what it's about, right? Our reputation in New York, DC, and San Francisco. It's a scheme concocted by a bunch of overly image-conscious urbanite Minnesotans who will never feel secure about where they live until they it gets endorsed by Very Important People writing for the New York Times and the Atlantic. If the Northies seem to believe anything at all, it's that the best way to help Minnesota is to escape any association whatsoever with the Midwest, a region with which Minnesota actually does share a rather lot of important (and I'd argue, often positive) cultural values. Values that, if no one's noticed, a lot of peopIe who live here seem to like.

It's pure playground politics -- the cool kids call you a loser and to prove you're not, you turn around say, no, we're like you, those other kids are the REAL losers. No one stops to wonder that maybe people who think the Midwest is a laughingstock are as parochial as they think we are, and that maybe we look awfully silly putting on airs to impress them.

So yeah, anyway. I have feelings about this.

Re: Twin Cities' National and Global Image

Posted: March 4th, 2015, 3:05 pm

by mattaudio

The south may view this as the label of northern aggression.

Re: Twin Cities' National and Global Image

Posted: March 4th, 2015, 3:12 pm

by xandrex

A mostly fair take, though a nit to pick: I don't know that it's the case that we're the losers being teased by the cool kids who turn around and say, "Nuh-uh, we're cool, they're the losers!" Pretty much everyone advocating for "North" has simply pointed out that we really aren't like the rest of the Midwest (politically, culturally, weather-wise, even economically to an extent). We got something in common, but we've also got plenty in common with folks in Seattle and Boston. We're not better than the Midwest, we're different. So why accept "Upper Midwest" as our title? It's not like we chose it. It was chosen by someone else and assigned to us.

I'm in the North camp, but I don't don't mind Midwest at all. Upper Midwest is pretty sterile sounding though.

Re: Twin Cities' National and Global Image

Posted: March 4th, 2015, 3:19 pm

by Unity77

MNdible wrote:Typical? Really, what should Minneapolis have done to prevent Target from making bad business decisions?

Where did I state anything about Target? The loss of headquarters, jobs, and talent has been an ongoing issue here for a number of years now.

Re: Twin Cities' National and Global Image

Posted: March 4th, 2015, 3:20 pm

by Unity77

Snelbian wrote:

Unity77 wrote:

gpete wrote:What should Minneapolis have done differently to keep Target from restructuring and laying off thousands of employees?

Typical

It's a valid question. I don't think the negligible amount of time anyone in local government has spend pushing Midwest vs North is really to blame for...anything. It hasn't exactly been taking up vast quantities of agenda time.